Willie Geist To 'Today': 'Morning Joe' Host Becomes 9 AM Co-Anchor

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Willie Geist will become the co-host of the 9 AM hour of "Today," the New York Times reported on Monday.

It's a big promotion for Geist, who has been steadily gaining prominence within NBC News. He'll join Al Roker, Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie. On top of his regular roles on "Morning Joe" and "Way Too Early," he's already a familiar face on "Today," as a frequent fill-in for Matt Lauer. His new role puts him on any shortlist for a successor to Lauer, though there will be fierce competition for that role.

The Times' Brian Stelter said that Geist will step down from "Way Too Early" and cut back on his role at "Morning Joe." He also said that Geist was contemplating jumping to CNN or CBS before NBC wooed him back with the "Today" offer.

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Willie Geist To 'Today': 'Morning Joe' Host Becomes 9 AM Co-Anchor

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